


can't sleep.

by rhiner



Category: OMORI (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Hallucinations, Panic Attacks, Slice of Life, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-21
Packaged: 2021-03-28 08:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30136971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhiner/pseuds/rhiner
Summary: Sunny is all alone again, in a big city.He wants to go home, but he can't.How does he cope?Texting his friends.
Relationships: Aubrey/Sunny (OMORI)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 112





	1. a candle burning at both ends

**Author's Note:**

> this is kind of a chatfic, but kind of not  
> it has real life sections with sunny, but also some of that Funny Chatfic

Mom moved us out to the city.  
She said that "it'll be a fresh start out here." She said that I'll be okay out here, alone.   
I'm not okay. Without Kel, Hero, Aubrey, or Basil... I'm scared. I wanted to kick and scream. I wanted to go home, back to where my friends are. I wanted to tell Mom that I won't be okay out here.

But I didn't. I didn't say a word. I simply nodded with a vacant expression on my face.  
I let out a shaky sigh. I feel a force welling up behind my eye, yet nothing comes out. I want to cry, but I physically can't. I shift around in my bed, one of the few things that are familiar to me in this so, so unfamiliar space. 

I had tried to mimic how my room looked back in Faraway Town, but ultimately, it just looked... off. The room that I had chosen as my bedroom was too big. It was also wider than it was long, so trying to mimic my room just didn't work.  
So, I resorted to randomly placing things about my room.

A lot of things were still in boxes, but the contents of those boxes held things that would go in their place. The computer and answering machine (why did I still have that? I have a mobile phone now) was going to be put in the corner, my dresser was going to be on the opposite side of the room from the computer, and my bed was across from the door, in the corner. 

It was a weird place to put the bed, but there's a window right above me. If I sat up and turned around, I would be able to see the outside world. Though, right now, the window was blocked by the blinds. If you haven't noticed, I'm currently on the brink of freaking out and breaking down, curled up into a ball, trying to hold it together.

My ears were ringing. Didn't I overcome all of my fears back in Faraway Town? Didn't I face what me and Basil did four years ago? Why am I like this still? I thought I got better. 

My stomach growled. Crap. I was busy all day, I forgot to eat lunch and dinner.  
Just... great. First, I'm seconds away from a panic attack, now, I'm hungry in the middle of the night? What's next, Omori breaking my window and killing me?

...Sitting up, I look at the window.  
Thankfully, no twelve year old smashes through the window. It's just me. Sunny. Alone, and hungry.  
Wonderful. Getting out of my bed, I stumble over to the door, opening it.

The hallway is fairly small. My bedroom door is at the end of the hall, and other doors are placed throughout the hallway. With my hand on the wall, I travel down and into the sitting room. Or, what would become the sitting room. Everything is still in boxes. And I have to unpack it all...  
Stepping into the kitchen, sticky notes are placed onto the fridge.

_Hi Sunny! The fridge is working, and I put some leftover Chinese food in there for you. I know you would rather have steak, but I still remember you telling me about the time that you microwaved steak! Speaking of it, the microwave is also working, last time I checked._   
_Love you, XOXO_

Thanks, Mom... at least she's still looking out for me. Opening the fridge, the aforementioned leftovers is on the shelf. Opening the styrofoam container, fried rice and chicken balls covered with some kind of sauce stares back at me. Putting it aside on the counter, I closed the fridge and looked for the box with all the plates...

"Hey, Sunny?"  
A familiar voice speaks behind me. I freeze up. My eye goes wide.  
"Where are we? Why is everything in boxes?"  
Turning around, it's Mari. She's looking at me, wearing the same white dress from that night.  
"And where's my stuff? I was looking through the boxes, and I couldn't find my basket! Or my blanket! How are we supposed to have picnics now?"

I stay silent. This is just a hallucination. I'm just hungry, and I'm making this up. I close my eye, and focus on my breathing.  
"You... you aren't trying to forget about me, are you...?"   
My breathing catches. My eye opens, and Mari stands right in front of me, her right eye staring into my left eye.

"N...N-No... g-get... get away... fr-from me..." I back away, only to bump into the counter. Mari gets closer.  
"Sunny... we're siblings! What's wrong?"  
I closed my eye. Focus. This isn't real. Mari... Mari is dead. I killed her. She isn't here anymore. 

The microwave beeps. Opening my eye, Mari is gone. The smell of food makes my stomach growl in anticipation. I sigh in relief.  
I... I really need to get a handle on myself. Is this place scaring me? Or was I hungry enough to hallucinate that badly?  
I open the microwave and pull out my very late dinner.

* * *

  
Closing my bedroom door, my ears start ringing again. I lie in bed, and feel my head starting to spin. I think I hear Mari's voice... but nothing in my room changes. Nothing appears. Something doesn't manifest. Mari stays in my head, echoing.

Compared to how I was living a few weeks ago, this is a step up. I have technically gotten better... not by much, though. I still feel on the edge of losing it.   
Turning over, something cold presses into my side. I sit up and examine what I was laying on.  
It's just my phone. I remember what I promised Kel yesterday. About me texting him when I got to my new home. Hopefully he's still awake...

I pick up the phone and lay back down. Turning it on, my eye is blasted by a white light. I turn the phone toward the ceiling. I forgot to turn down the brightness...  
With the display now set to a brightness that wouldn't kill a man, I open the texting app that Kel asked me to get. 

1:03 AM  
Kel  
sunny: hello  
sunny: are you awake?  
Kel: dhhrkdbi  
sunny: ?  
Kel: jrkdbdis whasht  
sunny: ...  
Kel: what  
Kel: huh  
Kel: oh  
Kel: hey Sunny  
sunny: hello  
Kel: so how was ur first day  
sunny: hectic  
sunny: and exhausting  
Kel: aw  
Kel: wait  
Kel: why arent u asleep then  
sunny: i was hungry  
sunny: i also remembered that i was supposed to text you when i got into my new place  
Kel: U COULD HAVE TEXTED ME LATER  
sunny: i keep my promises  
Kel: well now we're both awake at 1 am  
Kel: look where ur promises got us  
sunny: -_-  
sunny: if i knew you were asleep i wouldnt have texted  
Kel: bro u know me  
Kel: i turn into a literal rock at 11  
sunny: rocks dont have hands  
Kel: have u checked  
sunny: what  
Kel: have u looked at a rock recently  
Kel: like really looked at a rock  
sunny: no   
Kel: bro we got hands now  
Kel: its crazy  
Kel: we got fingers too  
sunny: on a scale of 1 to 10 how tired are you right now  
Kel: 11  
sunny: sorry  
sunny: but also not sorry  
Kel: why?  
sunny: i wouldnt have heard about how youre a rock and you gained hands with fingers if i didnt wake you  
Kel: mean  
sunny: sorry for real  
Kel: so im about to fall asleep again  
Kel: if you wanted something other than keeping the promise better say it quick  
sunny: do you have basils contact info  
Kel: yeah  
Kel: u want it?  
sunny: yes  
Kel: alright  
Kel sent an image.   
sunny: thank you  
sunny: good night  
Kel: gn!!

1:06 AM  
Basil  
sunny: hello  
sunny: kel gave me your contact  
Basil: Oh  
Basil: Hi Sunny!!!  
Basil: What're you doing up so late??  
sunny: was hungry  
sunny: and was bugging kel  
Basil: Well you should try and get some sleep...   
Basil: It's pretty late  
sunny: i dont know  
sunny: can i tell you something  
Basil: ???  
sunny: when i was out in the kitchen  
sunny: mari was with me  
sunny: i thought i got better  
sunny: why am i hallucinating still  
Basil: Sunny.......  
Basil: Recovering takes time, you know...  
Basil: I'm still trying to recover too from those nights  
Basil: The thing behind you may have disappeared but you're still hurt  
Basil: I'm still hurt too  
Basil: So let's take this one step at a time, okay?  
sunny: okay  
Basil: Alright!!! We can do this!!  
sunny: thank you  
Basil: But really....  
Basil: You should get some sleep  
Basil: Staying up this late is bad for your health!  
sunny: youre also awake  
Basil: a  
Basil: Only because you are!  
sunny: so if i slept you would sleep too  
Basil: Yes!  
sunny: good night  
Basil: Uh  
Basil: Alright  
Basil: Good night, Sunny!  
sunny: yes  
I turned off my phone. It was pretty late. Turning over in my bed again, I closed my eye. A small smile wormed it's way onto my face. Maybe I'll be alright, able to text my friends whenever I want.  
I slowly drifted into a dreamless sleep... hopefully.


	2. old ghosts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> today, mari continues to plague sunny's existence  
> more info on this story at 8

_I sat on the picnic blanket in the secret hideout. Today was a perfect day. The sun was out, with no clouds, and a light summer breeze grazed my face. In the distance, Hero and Kel were getting ready to jump off the dock and into the pond. Aubrey had laid her head on my lap, her pink hair going pretty much everywhere. Basil was out getting snacks for us._

_It was a week after me and Basil had told everyone about what happened. My Mom had decided to let me stay for an extra two weeks, to let me recover from the hospital trip._  
_For the first week, everyone drifted away. I knew they were disgusted with what me and Basil did._  
_But slowly, we got back together. Kel was, once again, the initiator. We all made a silent vow to not talk about what we did that night, to avoid future fights. Besides... it had already happened. I feel guilt everyday, but I can't change what happened. So instead of making what-ifs, we just left it alone._

_"...Sunny."_  
_I looked down, and Aubrey's teal eyes stared into my one eye. Sometimes I wonder if I'm hallucinating it or if they're colored contacts, but I suppose it doesn't really matter._  
_"...Do you want to go swimming with them?"_  
_I hear Hero yelp. Looking up, Kel has a triumphant look on his face, as a disgruntled Hero is now in the water._  
_"I mean, we don't have to if you don't want to-"_  
_"Yes." My voice felt gravelly. Not speaking for a week does that to you._  
_"Uh... you sure?"_  
_"I'm sure."_  
_Aubrey tilts her head slightly, narrowing her eyes._

_"Aren't you afraid of water?"_  
_"I was afraid of drowning... and I'm not afraid anymore."_  
_"...Whatever you say, then." Aubrey sits up, and the warmth that her head provided my legs quickly vanishes._  
_I hear someone approaching from the right. I swivel my head around, so I can actually see who it is._  
_It's Mari. Her right eye is staring right at me._  
_"...Sunny... I love yo-"_

I shot up in my bed, breathing heavily. That... that was a memory. That actually happened... aside from Mari coming in. Basil was supposed to come back from the store at that moment. Putting a hand to my heart, I feel it hammering away. I take deep breaths, calming myself down.

Picking up my phone, I look at the date. Today is Sunday. Today I have to unpack everything, and tomorrow, I have to go to my new school. I'm a few weeks behind, but I should be able to catch up.  
Leaving my phone behind, I get up and start my day. My ears are slightly ringing, but I pay it no mind.  
-  
2:00 PM  
Kel  
Basil: So  
Basil: Um  
Basil: You gave Sunny my contact  
Kel: ye  
Basil: Okay. I was just checking  
Kel: y would u need to check?  
Basil: Uh  
Basil: No reason  
Kel: aight  
Kel: Aubrey wants 2 know if ur down to go somewhere 2day  
Basil: Um  
Basil: Sure!  
Basil: Where to?  
Kel: idk  
Kel: she hasnt told me lol  
Basil: ...Okay

2:02 PM  
Aubrey  
Kel: Basil wants to know where we're goin   
Aubrey: well i'm not telling either of you yet  
Kel: but yyyyyyyyyyy  
Kel: it would be so much ezier  
Aubrey: first off  
Aubrey: "ezier" doesn't even make sense  
Aubrey: second off  
Aubrey: No  
Aubrey: :)  
Kel: :,(  
Aubrey: good. cry.  
Kel: im actually going to cry  
Aubrey: GOOD.  
Kel: :,(((((((  
Kel: k but actually where are we goin  
Aubrey: still not telling you  
Aubrey: maybe i'll tell basil but not you  
Kel: cmooooon aub  
Kel: please? pretty please? with a cherry on top?  
Aubrey: i hate cherries  
Kel: with a [insert favorite food here] on top?  
Aubrey: why would i want pizza on the word "please"  
Kel: i hate you  
Aubrey: i hate you too

2:05 PM  
Basil  
Kel: shes not telling me  
Basil: I could try.....  
Kel: go ahead  
Kel: im not stoppin u

2:05 PM  
Aubrey   
Basil: Aubrey  
Aubrey: basil  
Basil: We're friends, right...?  
Aubrey: yeah, obviously  
Basil: Friends tell each other things  
Basil: So could you tell me where we're going??  
Aubrey: no  
Aubrey: you're going to tell kel and my whole plan is ruined  
Basil: You have a plan?  
Aubrey: shit  
Aubrey: okay listen i'll tell you where we're going if you don't tell kel a word  
Basil: Okay...  
Aubrey: we're going to find sunny and kel is going to lose his mind over us not telling him  
Basil: WHAT?!  
Basil: Have you... even checked with Sunny?  
Aubrey: no  
Aubrey: it's a surprise  
Basil: Do you even know where he lives??  
Aubrey: he gave me his new address  
Aubrey: didn't he give everyone it  
Basil: I didn't get it...  
Aubrey: huh  
Aubrey: weird  
Aubrey: anyway it's this apartment complex in the city  
Aubrey: room 331  
Basil: Okay... but how are we getting there?  
Aubrey: i stole some money  
Aubrey: we're taking the bus  
Basil: Who... who did you steal from...?  
Aubrey: some idiot who wasn't paying attention  
Aubrey: got a solid 200 in cash  
Basil: .....  
Aubrey: don't worry you big baby  
Aubrey: it'll be fine  
Aubrey: just ignore the fact that we're going to sunny with stolen money and it'll go fine  
Basil: You say that, yet I don't feel any better about this...  
Aubrey: :)  
Aubrey: but really, it'll be okay  
Aubrey: if anyone tries to fuck with us me and kel have got your back  
Basil: Thanks... I guess...  
Basil: So... when are we going...?  
Aubrey: i'm getting kel right now  
Basil: Wait we're going now?  
Aubrey: yes  
Basil: I have to shower! I have to get new clothes!  
Aubrey: better be quick then  
Aubrey: you've got 5 minutes  
-  
I sit back in the freshly re-assembled couch, sighing. It's the same one we had back in Faraway, and it was just as hard to put together as it was to take apart.  
I've been unpacking things since 7:00 AM. I just finished unpacking the last of the things I was responsible for. And honestly? I'm exhausted. Though, maybe that's just how I feel after putting the couch together.  
Sinking further into the cushions, I feel my eye closing...

I hear a knock from the door. I'm wide awake again. Groaning, I stand up, heading to the door. Behind it, I can hear voices.  
"You're sure this is his place... r-right...?"  
"Yeah, obviously. He gave me the address."  
"Who are you two talking about?!"  
Wait. I must be dreaming. Or hallucinating. I open the door slightly, and the three stop talking. Then, I open it fully.

Aubrey, Kel, and Basil stare back at me.  
"...W-Wh-"  
"WHAT?! SUNNY?!" Kel flings himself into me, giving me a bone-crushing hug.   
"Hey, dumbass! You're choking him!" Aubrey yanks Kel off of me, and I can breathe again. I cough.  
"...Wh-What are you guys doing here...?"

"You gave me the address, so I took it as 'come over whenever you want'." Aubrey pushes past me, and into the kitchen. "And to be fair, you didn't say otherwise, so don't bother arguing about it."

Kel whines. "If I had known that we were comin' to see you, I would've gotten you something!"  
"With what money, Kel? You still owe me twenty bucks, remember?"  
"A-Aha... forgot about that..."  
"But! Because I'm simply the _better friend_ , I... got you something." Aubrey reaches into her jacket pocket, and pulls out a small framed photo of her, Kel, Basil and Hero smiling at the camera.  
"I-I know you have Basil's photo album and everything, but I thought that you could... uh... use some decoration." She pushes the photo into my hands, stuffing her hands into her pockets, looking embarrassed... for some reason.

"...Thank you, Aubrey."  
Getting a better look at the photo, it looks like the four were having a sleepover at Basil's place.   
"So!" Kel comes up behind me, putting his arm over my shoulder. "Been anywhere cool yet in this city?"  
"...I haven't been outside this apartment since I got here."  
"Wh-What? Then what have you been doing all day?!"   
"I unpacked everything. I can show you the rooms that I responsible for, if you count that as cool."

Basil finally steps past us, and into the kitchen.   
"I think... that would be nice. We get to see all the hard work that Sunny did! A-And, we get to learn the layout of your new place..."   
Aubrey sighs.   
"Alright then. Go ahead, Sunny. Play the tour guide."

I close the apartment door, and everyone files in behind me.   
"This is the kitchen."  
"Yeah, Sunny... we could figure that out. Although, Kel is here..."  
"Hey! I'm smarter than that!"  
Walking forward, I lead the group out into the sitting room.   
"This is the sitting room. I finished putting the couch together before you guys came over."   
"So... you just moved all your old stuff into this new place?" Basil notes, seemingly noticing the same pictures placed around the walls.  
"Yes."  
"Hey, Sunny, show us your room! You can tell us about the other rooms as we go by!"  
"...Okay." I take the group from the sitting room and into the hallway. "First left door is the bathroom. First right door is my Mom's room. The other two rooms... I haven't decided on what to do with them. And the door at the end of the hall is my room." I open said door, and the group enters my bedroom.

"Woah... this is... completely different. What happened to all your stuff?" Aubrey looks around my room.   
"A lot of it we didn't need anymore. Most of the stuff was Mari's, and Mom... well..."  
"She got rid of it?" I nodded. "...What about her picnic stuff? Don't tell me we need to get another basket and blanket." Aubrey, despite her tough voice, looks like she's torn up about it.  
"No. I kept it. They're in a box somewhere." Aubrey looks relieved.  
"That's great, then!" Kel flopped back-first onto my bed. "Keeping at least some of her stuff around is good. Y'know, like a memento!"   
"Y-Yeah..." Basil agreed, looking through the window above my bed. The sun is coming through the window, casting the bed (and Kel) in a golden light. "...W-What about her piano...?" 

"I'm not sure. Mom said she was going to try to get it in here."  
"How would you even get a grand piano in here? And where would you put it? This place is too small for that." Aubrey takes a seat on the chair to the computer.   
"I was thinking of putting it in one of the unused rooms. It would be difficult getting it in, though."  
"Mm..."  
We all sat in silence for a moment.

"...It's still weird not having you around in Faraway, Sunny." Kel sat up, looking at me. "I woke up and thought, 'hey, I should go get Sunny'. But then I remembered... you're gone."  
"It is pretty weird. Part of me wanted to believe that you would stay after the... uh... hospital trip. But... I guess you really had to move. I'll... I'll miss you, y'know."  
Basil stays silent. I already know how he feels about me missing from Faraway Town, anyway.   
"...But you know where I am now. And I can visit."  
"Oh! Right! I forgot about that!"   
  
"What, did you think Sunny was some sort of 'princess locked in a tower for the rest of her life', Kel?"   
"Uh... for a second, maybe..."  
"Dumbass."  
"L-Let's not... f-fight... w-we should... uh... maybe go look around...?" Basil interjects.   
Kel and Aubrey look like they're about to continue, and I was preparing to call Hero on my phone to have him tell them off, but thankfully, they leave it alone.  
"Do you wanna look around, Sunny? You need to learn where everything is, and we can learn where cool hangout spots are!"   
"...Sure. Let's go." I put the photo that Aubrey gave me onto my bedside table, making it stand upright. Their smiling faces look at me, frozen in time.

I should probably tell Aubrey that I love her gift.

**Author's Note:**

> i cant get this stupid game out of my head


End file.
